desireejones
08-17-2013, 06:47 AM
Reality show drive-by: Naked and Afraid
Imagine an incredibly extreme — and naked! — version of Survivor
D
iscovery's new series Naked and Afraid wisely put its key element — nudity — right there in the title.
Now, the show does purport to be a groundbreaking exercise in true survival documented before cameras. But it's also a show about two completely naked strangers ambling around the outdoors with their bits hanging out for all the world to see (with pixelated boxes on their most private bits, of course).
The premise is simple: For 21 days, one man and one woman are plopped down in a remote location with no water, no food, and, of course, no clothes. The two — who do not know each other and only meet once before all their clothes are stripped off — must band together to fight the elements and predators that await them. It's an extreme and naked version of Survivor. One episode featured a woman using her vagina immersed in water to catch fish (really). No wonder the show is a summertime ratings hit.
Just a few episodes in, the show is already stirring up controversy, as people have questioned how realistic the survival experience is for contestants. There's no attempt at hiding the fact that cameras are trailing the two, but there have been rumors that producers are intervening more than they let on to nurse sick contestants back to health. Whether that's true or not, the show is riveting reality television at its best, full of challenge and emotion that compels the viewer to keep watching.
In the latest episode, two survivalists battle the Louisiana bayou. There's Billy, 39, who is listed as a primitive skills expert and author with specific experience in primitive weapons and hunting. Then there's Ky, 39, a stuntwoman who claims to not be phased much by physical discomfort. The two are brought to the their new swampy home for three weeks via small boats, and must strip off every last article of clothing before wandering, naked and covered with blurry boxes, over to meet one another. Add to this that a cold front has come in and the temperature is in the mid 50s. It's truly one of the most genuinely awkward introductions ever shown on television. While nervously laughing and shaking hands, they say things like, "I see you're naked" and "I'm so embarrassed right now." But rather quickly, they move on and begin working on a plan for survival even while adjusting to genitals and breasts flopping around in the daylight.
The terrain itself is nightmarish. It's all stagnant, shallow water with only a tiny exposed plot of muddy land to build shelter on. They set to work trying to erect something out of sticks and leaves, but the bayou's vegetation lacks much of the leafy fronds that would help keep them dry. Meanwhile, Billy sets to work finding food and almost immediately finds a terrifying looking snake that he decides will be dinner. With truly impressive precision, he nabs the snake with his bare hands and chops its head off with the small knife he's been allowed to bring along. It's graphic stuff, and the first of many chopped up snakes that appear throughout the episode.
http://theweek.com/article/index/247743/reality-show-drive-by-naked-and-afraid
Imagine an incredibly extreme — and naked! — version of Survivor
D
iscovery's new series Naked and Afraid wisely put its key element — nudity — right there in the title.
Now, the show does purport to be a groundbreaking exercise in true survival documented before cameras. But it's also a show about two completely naked strangers ambling around the outdoors with their bits hanging out for all the world to see (with pixelated boxes on their most private bits, of course).
The premise is simple: For 21 days, one man and one woman are plopped down in a remote location with no water, no food, and, of course, no clothes. The two — who do not know each other and only meet once before all their clothes are stripped off — must band together to fight the elements and predators that await them. It's an extreme and naked version of Survivor. One episode featured a woman using her vagina immersed in water to catch fish (really). No wonder the show is a summertime ratings hit.
Just a few episodes in, the show is already stirring up controversy, as people have questioned how realistic the survival experience is for contestants. There's no attempt at hiding the fact that cameras are trailing the two, but there have been rumors that producers are intervening more than they let on to nurse sick contestants back to health. Whether that's true or not, the show is riveting reality television at its best, full of challenge and emotion that compels the viewer to keep watching.
In the latest episode, two survivalists battle the Louisiana bayou. There's Billy, 39, who is listed as a primitive skills expert and author with specific experience in primitive weapons and hunting. Then there's Ky, 39, a stuntwoman who claims to not be phased much by physical discomfort. The two are brought to the their new swampy home for three weeks via small boats, and must strip off every last article of clothing before wandering, naked and covered with blurry boxes, over to meet one another. Add to this that a cold front has come in and the temperature is in the mid 50s. It's truly one of the most genuinely awkward introductions ever shown on television. While nervously laughing and shaking hands, they say things like, "I see you're naked" and "I'm so embarrassed right now." But rather quickly, they move on and begin working on a plan for survival even while adjusting to genitals and breasts flopping around in the daylight.
The terrain itself is nightmarish. It's all stagnant, shallow water with only a tiny exposed plot of muddy land to build shelter on. They set to work trying to erect something out of sticks and leaves, but the bayou's vegetation lacks much of the leafy fronds that would help keep them dry. Meanwhile, Billy sets to work finding food and almost immediately finds a terrifying looking snake that he decides will be dinner. With truly impressive precision, he nabs the snake with his bare hands and chops its head off with the small knife he's been allowed to bring along. It's graphic stuff, and the first of many chopped up snakes that appear throughout the episode.
http://theweek.com/article/index/247743/reality-show-drive-by-naked-and-afraid